Steven Wilson had a chat with Rob Moore about the music industry, not getting on the radio or Later With Jools Holland, being pigeonholed as a progressive rock artist, Radiohead, Coldplay, Neil Young, Rammstein, AC/DC, and much, much on the Disruptors podcast.
August 31, 2022
Ruben Block: That's Just The Way
Ruben Block, singer and guitarist with Belgian power trio Triggerfinger, has released That's Just The Way, another single form his his solo album Looking To Glide, out on September 30 via Pias (coloured and black vinyl, CD, digital). Using the upper echolons of his vocal range, he builds an atmospheric, come hither rocker with a tugging backbeat.
Peter Hook: interview with Guitar.com
Peter Hook was interviewed by Richard Purden for Guitar.com. He visited the grave of of Ian Curtis recently. About the lasting influence:
There were a lot of flowers there when I visited a couple of days ago. The same reason Joy Division caught that generation between 1978 and 1980 is the same reason it was captured ten years later, then twenty years later and so on.
The Last of the Fallen Angels: One Mistake (ft. Pete Gustard)
English synth band The Last of The Fallen Angels keep their slew of collaborations going with their latest single, One Mistake. Conrad McQueen and guest singer Pete Gustard (Giant Silent World) bonded over a share love for the motoric beats of the early '80s and together they created a track that is part Propaganda and part Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Producer Simon Ellis (Spice Girls, S Club 7, Westlife) worked his magic to turn it into an old school dance floor anthem.
August 30, 2022
Cozy Slippers: Nobody Knows Me, Anyhow
Seattle based rambling, jangling, indie rock trio Cozy Slippers are singing about climate change and feeling out of place on their new single, Nobody Knows Me, Anyhow. The video features an ice bear who finds himself on the beach of Florida, hitching a ride from ice cream truck after being pelted by plastic bottles. It was made by Marcy Stone-Francois.
Kevin the Persian: Southern Dissonance
Sometimes loud rock music can offer solace. Musician Kevin the Persian got it all out of his system holed up in old industrial building in New Orleans, recording the songs for what would become his debut album, Southern Dissonance, a collection of no holds barred guitar driven music. He describes his art as "music for masochists..." and sure enough, the lyrics are rather bleak, right from the off, with the album's opener Coping Mechanisms: "2022 // Eight billion years to go // Until the sun decides to swallow the earth".
Cooking up a hybrid of classic rock and thrash metal, he lashes out at people who blame the world for their troubles (What You Deserve), dreams about getting away from it all (Suicide in K Minor), and contemplates the end of the road for his favourite kind of music (Rock is Dead). The latter sentiment is not exactly new - Pete Townshend wrote Long Live Rock for the shelved Rock Is Dead—Long Live Rock! album by The Who in 1972. With the current prominence of the use of electronics in modern popular music, guitar players are no longer the epitome of cool. Maybe it is time for him to seek sanctity and enjoy The Regulations of the Auxiliary Cloud Hall, like the monks in Japan do. He is an outsider in his own immediate surroundings in the Deep South, despite being born as a citizen of the "Confederate States of America". That is Southern Dissonance in a nutshell, a rocker whose appearance makes narrow-minded and conservative white people twitch.
August 29, 2022
Stephen Chopek: "No One Just Us" video
Singer and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Chopek has made a video for his latest single, No One Just Us: "[...] he played all the instruments on this track, celebrating a new found love. When a thing like that happens, the world seems a better place, wherein other people and setbacks don't matter at all."
Ronan Conroy: new album "The Slow Death of the LoveMyth" in October
NYC based singer-songwriter Ronan Conroy went throught his stack of unreleased songs for a new album, The Slow Death of the LoveMyth. He picked seven tracks, recorded between July 2013 and September 2017 @ Capture Sound Studios, Brooklyn. As per usual Charlie Nieland acted as producer, engineer and mixer (he played bass, percussion and drums as well). It is a belated thank you to all the female singers that have inspired him and in some cases worked with Conroy over the years:
This album is in gratitude to all the incredible female vocalists who have inspired me, including Love Spirals Downwards, Autumns Grey Solace, Lana del Rey, Chelsea Wolfe, PJ Harvey, Kate Bush, Julie Dicterow.
Thanks to the artists who appeared on the album with me - Julie Dicterow, Shannon Brown, Susan Hwang, Charlie Nieland, Justin Wierbonski.
Thanks to Shannon Brown for putting the album cover together.
The album is available pre-order here. Release date: October 21.
HCTF review of The Moment Is Gone.
August 28, 2022
Concrete Prairie: Concrete Prairie
English quintet Concrete Prairie have connected two sorts of roots music on their self-titled debut album, taking cues from homegrown folk and Americana. Fast-paced songs like Bury My Blues and People Forget could mistaken for a long lost Levellers tracks (albeit without the politics). Lead singer Joe Faulkner writes lyrics that are close to his heart - Picking Up Pieces is a song for his daughter after she went through a rough patch, Hard Times gets a silver lining with soaring guitar and fiddle solos.
It is best not to worry too much about the future, but favour the moment (Day By Day). Concrete Prairie are optimists, even in the face of serious mishaps. They are not naive, but simply urging their audience to get up and take charge of their lives. They will provide the soundtrack to kickstart a fresh beginning.
Words about music (653): Igor Stravinsky
I haven't understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it.
Igor Stravinsky
August 27, 2022
Geiger von Müller: Slide Sonatas I.
London based acoustic slide guitarist Geiger von Müller is an explorer within his self-imposed boundaries on his new album Slide Sonatas I., a collection of subtle originals and a surprise reinvention of Chuck Berry's No Particular Place To Go (No Pp2 Go).
While most Sci-Fi inspired music goes for an all out extravagant sound Von Müller uses accessible patterns that unfold gradually. Each note has an important role as he feels his way through the tracks. He is a musician's musician, quite content to fly under the radar, while he reaches for the heavens. It would be nice if NASA would use Pining Over The Moon somewhere along the way in the program to put people on the face of Earth's companion again.
Jessie Kilguss: "Great White Shark" video
Brooklyn singer Jessie Kilguss has unveiled a video for her single Great White Shark: " It is piece of orchestrated pop that is way too smart for Broadway, with her crystal clear vocals smack in the middle of the mix". The clip was directed by Deborah Magocsi.
August 26, 2022
More Kicks: Terminal Love
London based garage rock trio More Kicks tackle the classic theme of the end of relationship on their new single Terminal Love. And while it sucks and hurts a lot right now, they find solace in the fact that a few years from now they might be laughing about it, enjoying the sun and choice beverages in Spain. The video was shot when they played over there, playing dingy clubs and having a whale of a time.
Jaws The Shark: Destroy The World (feat. Dinosaur Pile Up)
Olly Bailey lashes out at the filthy rich who are using the planet as their personal playground with Destroy The World, the latest single of his one-man project Jaws The Shark, with alternative rockers Dinosaur Pile Up playing up a storm, capturing the righteous anger in intense layers of neo-grunge guitars. The video, featuring reimagined old school NES game imagery, was made by Comes With Fries.
August 25, 2022
Apollonio: Moonta Bay
Canadian musician Marc Apollonio got the rug pulled out from under him, when his marriage came to an end, just few days after a great day in in Australia with his wife. Although a few years have passed he is still trying to come to terms with the unexpected breakup. On his single Moonta Bay he pays tribute to those happier times. The hurt is close to the surface on this slow moving electropop song.
Librarians With Hickeys: I Can't Stop Thinking About You
Power pop quartet Librarians With Hickeys have made a video for I Can't Stop Thinking About You, the lead single from their forthcoming album Handclaps & Tambourines, due for release on October 14th via Big Stir Records. The vocals are smack in the middle in the mix og this pleading love song, with the guitarist playing catch on top of the tugging backbeat and swinging bass.
» Librarians With Hickeys on Facebook
HCTF review of Long Overdue.
August 24, 2022
Cover Me: Seven Nation Army
Watch Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox tackle The WVhite Stripes classic Seven Nation Army. Singer Haley Reinhart steals the show, while the band nails the New Orleans dirge vibe.
August 23, 2022
The League of Assholes: A Really Futile And Stupid Gesture
The League of Assholes have been releasing uncompromising, politically charged avant-garde pieces for a couple of years now. Their latest is called A Really Futile And Stupid Gesture, a wild ride through free jazz, funk, musique concrète and noise that lasts over half an hour. It is an intense, in-your-face and there is also a lot of screaming going on (which should help to drown out the complaints of the neighbours when it comes howling from the speakers. It is a hissing monster of a track, wherein - among many other things - a decidedly pissed off vocalist makes it clear that he does want to get away from it all and live in a log cabin, as the world around him is going up in flames.
The musicians are all clamouring for a place in the spotlights, but somehow Marcelo Radulovich has managed again to make sense of the ensuing madness when he mixed the track. And he is the log cabin guy as well. He did not want to pass up on the opportunity to channel his hero Captain Beefheart. A Really Futile And Stupid Gesture will clear the room of any square stragglers at a party. Those who can handle it will crack a crooked smile and congratulate each other for their stamina and open ears.
Colin Robinson: Mixcloud of his 6th "Answers On A Postcard" show on Otto Radio
English avant-garde musician Colin Robinson (Jumble Hole Clough, Churn Milk Joan, Big Block 454) broadcasted the 6th episode of his monthly Answers On A Postcard show on Otto Radio on August 22nd. Missed it? It is now on Mixcloud:
This show covers rock from the early 1970s, with an emphasis on the Canterbury Scene. And The Clangers.
The Sweet Kill: Darkness
Pete Mills is struggling with his inner demons on Darkness, the title track from the latest album by his one-man post-punk project The Sweet Kills, using all the trappings from bands like The Sisters of Mercy and The Cure. He paints with broad strokes for this Gothic anthem. For the video director James Mitchell made him wear a straitjacket as he is been haunted by figments of his imagination in the shape of black panther and dancers dressed from head to toe in black vinyl. The lure of sex and violence has him struggling to get free.
August 22, 2022
Erotic Secrets of Pompeii: Nemesis Please
Bristol art rockers Erotic Secrets of Pompeii go over the top with their Nemesis Please single, a synths and guiars heavy anthem for troubled times. They nicked the song's catch phrase “If you want to serve the age, betray it” from Irish poet and novelist Brendan Kennelly, a writer who is famous for his don't-fuck-with-me down to earth prose. And while the band is not above posturing and grand standing, the message is loud and clear. The video was made by Saul Knight.
Nemesis Please is a self-released single. It is a track from their forthcoming Trash Jugular EP, due for release in November.
Golden Alphabet: Jumping Castle Full Of Great Ideas
Brooklyn based psych folk band Golden Alphabet go for a darker sound on their new single, Jumping Castle Full Of Great Ideas. Post-punk has wiggled in its way, which is quite appropriate for a song about doubt and contemplating the self-constructed reality that was taken for granted. What if it is a big lie? Add a distorted to the mix and you have followed the recipe for angst and anxiety that was all the rage in the early 80s: "Well, I had jumping castle full of great ideas. // And I saw the world as a pangaea. // But I'm shy, and I'm not smart. // But I have a heart. // It's just not mine".
August 21, 2022
Shawn Phillips: Live In The Seventies
On the cover of the exhaustive Live In The Seventies 3CD set Shawn Philips looks like the archetypal dude with a guitar playing songs about loss an love. And sure, there is plenty of that, but he was also an inventor, an early adapter of using loops, throwing in jazz licks, and getting his audience on the wrong foot with unexpected twists and turns. He came close to being big, graduating from coffee shops and rock clubs like The Bitter End to playing venues like Alice Tully Hall in the Lincoln Center NY. For some reason his songs from his studio albums were rarely heard on the radio, but luckily there were a couple stations who went to the trouble to record his live performances for posterity, capturing his impressive vocal register - three octaves all the way to a superb falsetto.
His fans always claimed to the best way to listen to Shawn Philips is attending his shows and the eight recordings were assembled by musician Roger Houdaille (Ex Norwegian) and composer Alex Wroten for Live In The Seventies are proof that they were right about. The audio restoration was in the capable hands of Prof. Stoned, bringing the urgent intimacy of the musician's stage persona to the fore. Taking it all in one sitting is the best way to get lost in the musical maze and enables the listener to follow his development over the years, but when that is not an option, it is best to break it down to one recording of a broadcast at the time, have a drink, and cue up the next one.
Lauren Ruth Ward: tour dates
LA based rock singer Lauren Ruth Ward will be on the road in the States in October. A long overdue European tour kicks off in March 2023 with a show in London.
Stephen Chopek: No One Just Us
Stephen Chopek has succeeded to create another tasty power-pop and synth-driven New Wave for his new single, No One Just Us. As per usual he played all the instruments on this track, celebrating a new found love. When a thing like that happens, the world seems a better place, wherein other people and setbacks don't matter at all.
Words about music (652): Albert Camus
Truly fertile music, the only kind that will move us, that we shall truly appreciate, will be a music conducive to dream, which banishes all reason and analysis. One must not wish first to understand and then to feel. Art does not tolerate reason.
Albert Camus
August 20, 2022
of Montreal: The Lagniappe Sessions @ Aquarium Drunkard
Kevin Barnes, the singer and multi-instrumentalist of indie band of Montreal, recorded two covers for Aquarium Drunkard's The Lagniappe Sessions: Syd Barrett's Dark Globe (MP3) and T.Rex's Cosmic Dancer (MP3). About that last track:
Marc Bolan, the sexy elfin poet of the eternally glamned. He saunters across our brains like a Jupiterian gypsy of the immediate now. I chose “Cosmic Dancer” because it embodies all that I love about T-Rex, it’s hooky and salacious and dreamy and groovy as fuck.
Eilen Jewell: tour dates
Alt-country singer Eilen Jewell is on tour in Europe. Ater a short break it's business as usual with a couple of shows in the States in November.
Live dates:- 08/20 Rootsy Summer Fest 2022 Falkenberg, Sweden
- 08/21 Österlen Americana Festival 2022 Löderup, Sweden
- 08/23 Alma Löv Museum of Unexp. Art Östra Ämtervik, Sweden
- 08/24 Liseberg Göteborg, Sweden
- 08/25 Kulturkvarteret Kristianstad Kristianstad, Sweden
- 08/27 Tønder Festival Tønder, Denmark
- 08/28 Tønder Festival 2022 Tønder, Denmark
- 08/29 Music Star Norderstedt, Germany
- 08/31 Club Manufaktur Schorndorf, Germany
- 09/02 Patronaat Haarlem, Netherlands
- 09/03 Fort33 Leusden, Netherlands
- 09/04 Mezz Breda, Netherlands
- 11/16 St James Community Square, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- 11/18 Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland, OR, United States
- 11/19 Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA #
- 11/20 Tractor Tavern, Seattle, WA #
# Eilen Jewell presents: Butcher Holler, the songs of Loretta Lynn
August 19, 2022
Jessie Kilguss: Sleepwalking Heart
photo: Shervin Lainez
Brooklyn singer Jessie Kilguss has released the second single, Sleepwalking Heart, from her forthcoming new full-length What Do Whales Dream About at Night?, due for release on September 24, her first new album since The Fastness came out four years ago.
She wrote it in 2018 for the Bushwick Book Club, a long running event where artists are invited to write a song about the same book, in this case Mira Jacob's debut novelThe Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing. The track is about loss and hanging on to small tokens after a fire wreaked havoc on the lifes of the characters in the book. Orchestral pop that goes straight for the gut.
Cover Me: David Watts
Watch The Jam tackle The Kinks classic David Watts. Recorded live @ Reading University on February 16th, 1978. The full show was released as a 2LP in 2016.
August 18, 2022
Organised Scum: Casement
English poppy post-punk trioOrganised Scum get out of their musical comfort zone by addding woodwinds on their latest single, Casement. The fuzz guitar is still in place, providing an unrelenting back bone for this dense yet danceable tune. The vocals have to sneak through, just like opening the window they sing about. The track will be included on their new album, Remoan, due for release in October.
No Ninja Am I: Storyline
Sander van Munster of Dutch indie folk project No Ninja Am I has released Storyline, the third single from his forthcoming album, Plenty of Blankets, due for release on September 8. He added dabs of electronics, plus a hint of jazz and psychedelic pop, using tension and release to set the mood for a dreamy tale. As a singer he never has to speak up to be heard, pulling the listener in into his inner world and serious concerns.
August 17, 2022
Dez Dare: Ulysses Trash
Darren Smallman plays up a storm with his one-man garage-punk band Dez Dare on his new album Ulysses Trash, a collection of gnarly fuzz-heavy songs, combining the Stooges with Ministry and the Jefferson Airplane in a foul mood. He is a veteran of the Australian noise scene, now based in Brighton, where he is waking up the neighbours with monolithic riffs, and fighting off his demons with his guitar and singing his heart out.
Anger issues are clashing with pet peeves like annoying hand shakes (Tyrannosaurus Shake) and nauseousness, inspired - well, sort of - by the adventures of Greek hero Ulysses. He had to sail the seas for a decade (Bloody Sea, Holy Fuck) after the Trojan war. Dealing with all kinds of shit along the way he finally made it home, as does Dare who used the tale as launch pad for rants at the powers that be. Shouting at the heavens is part of the human condition (Outrage, Metrics, Mechanics, Death) and so is resorting to violence when there is no answer (Trashin', Rampage-on-Hi).
Tape Op "DISCussion" Episode 24: Emily Wells
Tape Op has posted a new episode of their DISCussion podcast series. They get on the phone with an artist or producer to discuss an album they love. In episode 24 American multi-instrumentalist and producer Emily Wells talks about the Lewis Baloue album Romantic Times.
It's Karma It's Cool: A Gentle Reminder
English neo-psychedelic power pop quartet It's Karma It's Cool will be releasing six standalone singles over the next three months, and half of those will feature Peter Holsapple (REM, The dB's) on keyboards. They hit the ground running with the first one. A Gentle Reminder finds them in full swing, pushed forward by the tight rhythm section providing a rollicking backing for the vocals and freeflowing guitars. It is song about the comfort music can bring when dealing with anxieties, both real and imagined. And if doesn't do the trick, turn it up.
August 16, 2022
In Memoriam: Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley left the building planet 45 years ago. The King did way too many drugs and junk food. But man, what a voice. And tons of charisma.
Nick Frater: Aerodrome Motel
If you happened to run into English multi-instrumentalist Nick Frater puttering around in the aisles of a supermarket, singing into his smartphone, changes are you have overheard bits and pieces of one of the songs that ended up on his new album Aerodrome Motel. He loves to stack layers of instrumentation on his power-pop tinged material, but his voice comes first on this fresh batch of observations.
Frater positions himself as a fly-on-the-wall outsider - the soldier returning home in No Hard Feelings - a sociologist deciphering toilet graffiti in Rough & Tumble, as well as a critic of modern day society, where the debate has given way to shouting at each other from the deceptive safety of algorithm enhanced viewpoints (Dear Modern Times).
Lou Reed: early "Men of Good Fortune" demo from "Words & Music"
Another example of Lou Reed's early demos has hit the streaming services. This May 1965 version of Men of Good Fortune is folkie in a Bob Dylan kinda way, with a bit of harp thrown in for good measure. He is out of tune more often than not, It will be included on Words & Music on August 26 via Light In The Attic Records in conjunction with the Lou Reed Archive. Words & Music contains homemade lo-fi recordings of songs that would turn up on albums by The Velvet Underground and his solo output. John Cale features on some of the tracks as well. Men of Good Fortune would see the light of day on Berlin in 1973.
August 15, 2022
Phish 2022 Summer Tour SBD + torrents: East Troy 2022/08/14
East Troy poster by Tiffany Chin
Phish
2022/08/14
Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
- The Landlady
- Runaway Jim >
- Divided Sky
- 46 Days >
- Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan
- Sugar Shack
- Shade
- Halfway to the Moon
- Everything's Right
Johnny Dowd: playing "Blues" on acoustic guitar
Watch Johnny Dowd play some blues on acoustic guitar. It is pretty basic, but very enjoyable. The final shows fo his Saturday Night recedency @ The Downstairs in his hometown are coming up. He will be joined by some guests, helping him out with his unique brand of trashcan Americana and dark folk.
August 14, 2022
Mark Ronson: "Black to Black" song breakdown for BBC Maestro
Watch Mark Ronson going back on his work on the demo of Amy Winehouse's Back to Black for BBC Maestro.
The Extons: Social Media
King's Lynn indie rockers The Extons are not the first to write a song about the shallowness that comes with painting a false and optimistic picture of one's online presence, but their new single Social Media has enough grit to leave a lasting impression, with a crunchy guitar solo to boot. The lyrics don't beat around the bush and damn the toxity of applying ready-made filters to create a shine that is not real. It is a piece of melodic Britpop for millenials of all ages.
Phish 2022 Summer Tour SBD + torrents: East Troy 2022/08/13
East Troy poster by Tiffany Chin
Phish
2022/08/13
Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
- 1999 >
- Fluffhead >
- Saw It Again
- Leaves ->
- Back on the Train
- Taste
- Petrichor
- The Squirming Coil
Words about music (651): Paul Westerberg
Reading music is like listening to flowers. I don't understand the concept.
Paul Westerberg
August 13, 2022
Jessie Kilguss: Great White Shark
photo: Shervin Lainez
Brooklyn singer Jessie Kilguss aims for a place in the Great American Book with her new single, Great White Shark. It is piece of orchestrated pop that is way too smart for Broadway, with her crystal clear vocals smack in the middle of the mix, courtesy of Charlie Nieland. It is a taste from her forthcoming new album What Do Whales Dream About at Night?, due for release on September 24, her first new album since The Fastness came out four years ago.
Tape Op "DISCussion" Episode 23: Conor Oberst
Tape Op has posted a new episode of their DISCussion podcast series. They get on the phone with an artist or producer to discuss an album they love. In episode 23 singer and songwriter Conor Oberst talks about the R.E.M. album Lifes Rich Pageant.
Phish 2022 Summer Tour SBD + torrents: East Troy 2022/08/12
East Troy poster by Tiffany Chin
Phish
2022/08/12
Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy, WI
- Fuego
- Clear Your Mind
- Twist
- Halley's Comet
- Destiny Unbound
- The Moma Dance
- Drift While You're Sleeping
August 12, 2022
Mint Biscuit: A Trip Outside (full album version)
Last June guitarist Richard Thomas released A Trip Outside, an EP by his one-man project Mint Biscuit. It was a work-in-progress back then and he planned to add more tracks to make it a full album. It is now a mixed bag of reworked songs - six of them are from his Leap of Faith album - from his back catalogue.
He has been suffering from paranoid schizophrenia for years. Leaving the house is a big thing for him and now that he has added words to his instrumentals his compositions have gained an edge - famously described by Roger Waters as "quiet desperation". His wife couldn't be more supportive - the gentle song If I Was A Lonely Goatherd is an ode to her and a plea for world peace rolled into one. And when Jackals inside his head are haunting him, his love for her pulls him through.
As mentioned before he does strays off pitch every now and then. That doesn't matter at all. Each time he goes out into the world, whether it is for real or by sharing a new song, it is a small triumph that deserves to be cherished by himself and anyone with an open mind who cares to listen closely to his lyrics.
Nancy: Would You Be My Judy
For Would You Be My Judy, the new latest single by his Nancy project Jamie Stephen Hall went back to the British music hall tradition. It is a rollicking cabaret tune, with a hint of jazz and surf, as if the Beach Boys and the Kinks joined forces an upbeat song about finding one's bearings. It will included on English Leather album, due for release on October 28.
August 11, 2022
The Aristocrats: webcast from Reggie’s in Chicago
Jazz fusion prog rock trio The Aristocrats will offer a pay-per-view live stream from their show @ Reggie’s in Chicago on August 20 via Zuma Live. This is first for the band who are in the habit of asking their audience to turn of their smartphones and enjoy the show:
This is a total first for us, we’re excited about it, and there are a lot of good reasons why we felt as a band that this was the right time. First off, it’s super high quality audio and video, at a venue we know and love – Reggie’s – with Zuma Live who has done many successful high profile livestream shows. Second, we had to cancel our El Paso and Albuquerque shows on this tour due to COVID issues, and other folks couldn’t come to other shows for the same reason, so hopefully everyone affected by this unprecedented situation can check this out and see the actual tour show. Third, it’s been two years since we’ve been to Europe and six years since we’ve been to Asia or South America. We have a lot of fans around the world and it’s been difficult to get there lately, for obvious reasons. So we wanted to share our live show with them before next year – they’ve waited long enough!
Ex Norwegian: Spook Du Jour
Roger Houdaille is never out of ideas for another record by his Miami based neo-psychedelic power pop project Ex Norwegian. Spook Du Jour is his 13th album, a musical journey touching base with a wealth of genres. There is the swagger of glam rock, a nod to the accessible branch of Krautrock, and alternative and straight up rawk playing catch. Carefully sequenced it is basically like tuning into a radio show that offers half an hour of goodies that sound both familiar and fresh.
He treats synths and guitar as equal partners, picks his effects like a kid in a candy store, while never letting the groove getting out of his sight. As a producer Houdaille knows his fair share about dynamics and clarity. When he pushes the fuzz pedal he somehow manages to make it sound jubilant. Picking songs to highlight from this an embarrassment of riches is next to impossible. All killer, no filler.
Phish 2022 Summer Tour SBD + torrents: Toronto 2022/08/10
Toronto City poster by Miles Tsang
Phish
2022/08/10
Budweiser Stage, Toronto, ON
- Sigma Oasis ->
- Blaze On
- Steam
- My Sweet One
- Theme From the Bottom >
- Wombat
- Stash
- Sand
August 10, 2022
The Special Pillow: Mind Wipe
Hoboken psych rock quartet The Special Pillow are having fun with modern day nuisances, first world problems and technological possibilities lurking around the corner on their new EP Mind Wipe. They are trying to cope with websites asking visitors to prove that they are not a robot (Access Denied), seriously considering to start with a clean slate - the title track - and fearing that the environment will be fighting back (Organic Panic) wearing the cloak of a sunny side up wordless chant (and flamingos making a racket). It is all done with tongue-in-cheek lyrics, culminating in the self-deprecating closing track Another Tragic Chorus.
They have been part of the underground scene for longer than they care to remember, releasing a steady flow of high-grade, melodic pop albums that have gained them a following that will stick by them. Relying on word-of-mouth has made them a critic's favourite and maybe someday the rest of the world will take notice and get them their well-deserved recognition.
Ruben Block: solo album "Looking To Glide" in September
Ruben Block, singer and guitarist with Belgian power trio Triggerfinger, will release his solo album Looking To Glide on September 30 via Pias (coloured and black vinyl, CD, digital). The tracks were recorded in Antwerp and Santa Monica, California, with American musician and record producer Mitchell Froom acting as his partner in crime. It was a prolonged and cumbersome process for obvious reasons. Awake, one of the album singles, "is a slow burner, a mix of blues and a bit of Pixies-inspired guitar".
August 09, 2022
Cover Me: Here Comes The Flood
Watch English singer SuRie tackle the Peter Gabriel classic Here Comes The Flood. Recorded live @ The Cockpit in London on December 3, 2016.
ng>DeWaiters: The Trip
Polish progressive post-rock trio DeWaiters play fast, really fast sometimes, on their latest EP, The Trip, with four instrumentals about wanting to hitch a ride to the heavens or outer space even. They have put their tension and release skills to good use and managed to capture high quality dynamics on a shoestring budget, with engineer Benjamin Schrier working his magic for the mixing and mastering process.
Standout track: A Different Kind Of Driving, a track that kicks off with of bunch of chopped notes that will get a thumbs up from guitarists who like to add a bit of spice as an introduction for their fusion licks.
August 08, 2022
Tony Valentino: Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White
Tony Valentino, the guitarist for LA based garage rock band The Standells, has released Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White, as part of the new version of that band's classic Dirty Water album. Considered as a progenitor of punk, it became a working class fan favourite back then and although the energy is a bit more subdued on this revisit, he nailed the guitar part as if he has drunk from the fountain of youth. Duane Waider is on point with his snarling lead vocals and tight drums, with Gary Kaluza once again laying the groundwork on bass.
Phish 2022 Summer Tour SBD + torrents: Atlantic City 2022/08/07
Atlantic City poster by Nolan Pelletier
Phish
2022/08/07
Atlantic City Beach, Atlantic City, NJ
- Wolfman's Brother
- Tube
- Mountains in the Mist
- Ocelot >
- Fluffhead
- Mercury >
- Gumbo >
- Carini
J.M. Hart: "Ship Of Dreams" video
Folk singer and guitarist J.M Hart has made a video for Ship Of Dreams. the closing track from his Slips, Trips, & Falls album: "[He]" is never in a hurry with his music, carefully choosing his words, and wrapping his lyrics in cosy layers of various string instruments. With a phrasing that is halfway Willie Nelson and Warren Zevon, he tells tales about the songwriting process, love, loss, and people being stuck in dead-end jobs. Slips, Trips, & Falls is an album to listen to on the porch when the sun is setting, contemplating the day's events and finding that Hart has somehow come up with a song that fits your mood perfectly".
The pedal steel on this track was played by The Howard Hughes Suite.
August 07, 2022
Porcupine Tree: "Coma Coda" comes to vinyl
The Porcupine Tree live album Coma Coda will be released as a 2LP on red vinyl. Previously only available as a digital download from Bandcamp, the album serves a companion piece for their live album Coma Divine:
When Porcupine Tree made their first official live album, they decided to record their 3 night stand at Rome's Frontiera club in order to capture as much repertoire as possible. The original live album was almost entirely drawn from the third and final night, but this new selection of material comes from the second night. As well as alternate versions of Signify, Dislocated Day (incomplete but fun because of an impromptu drum solo!), and Radioactive Toy, this selection includes several songs that were not chosen to be on Coma Divine. Most notable among these is an unreleased group composition Cryogenics that was prepared especially for the concert recording, but didn't make the cut and was subsequently never played again by the band.
Phish 2022 Summer Tour SBD + torrents: Atlantic City 2022/08/06
Atlantic City poster by Nolan Pelletier
Phish
2022/08/06
Atlantic City Beach, Atlantic City, NJ
- 46 Days >
- The Moma Dance
- Olivia's Pool >
- My Soul
- 555 >
- NICU >
- Bathtub Gin
- Heavy Rotation >
- Character Zero
- Moonage Daydream
Nervous Twitch: We Don't Care
Leeds New Wave trio Nervous Twitch have released another statement of not giving a fuck for being yourself. We Don't Care is brash and lo-fi, a throwback to the days when punk turned more melodic, without losing its edge. They needed only a minute to make a very valid point about not worrying at all about what other people might think.
The track will be included on their new album Some People Never Change, due for release on October 19 via Reckless Yes Records (vinyl, CD, digital). It is available for pre-order here.
Words about music (650): Pythagoras
There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres.
Pythagoras
August 06, 2022
Phish 2022 Summer Tour SBD + torrents: Atlantic City 2022/08/05
Atlantic City poster by Nolan Pelletier
Phish
2022/08/05
Atlantic City Beach, Atlantic City, NJ
- Chalk Dust Torture -
- Wilson >
- Sand >
- Plasma
- Theme From the Bottom >
- Back on the Train
- Sigma Oasis ->
- Cities >
- More
August 05, 2022
Nell Davies: What The Heart Wants
English indie pop singer Nell Davies sings about the clash between brain and guts on her new single, What The Heart Wants. Getting out of a toxic friendship seems easy when your are not part of one. She takes a scalpel to her feelings, trying to cut herself loose, and not let nostalgic feelings about the past get the better of her. The video was filmed along the shores of Cornwall.
HCTF review of Everything and Nothing.
August 04, 2022
The Embryos: The Tone
Chicago based indie quartet The Embryos are trying to get in touch with a friend who had partied a little to hard on their new single, The Tone, urging him to get in touch and leave a voicemail: "Please come back / I’m a wreck // I don’t feel I’ll make it on my own // Please come home // I’m alone // Leave a message when you hear // The sound of the tone". Changes are that it won't help, but this slice of happy sad power-pop is relatable for anyone who is worrying about the well-being of a close friend.
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